The world of professional wrestling is one full of firepower, ferocity and a desire to entertain the masses.
For decades, those in the ring have thrilled thousands of people in stadiums and millions of people watching from television sets around the world.
However, there is a gripping side to life as a wrestler. While the likes of John Cena, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Hulk Hogan, and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin seem to have charming lives, many have passed away due to various health complications.
Suicides, heart complications or substance abuse problems have derailed and in some cases ended the lives of an alarming number of in-ring entertainers.
Here, Mail Sport delves into the morbid realities that have plagued wrestling in both the past and present.
The death of legendary WWE superstar Eddie Guerrero in 2005 shocked the sports world
The sudden death of Andre the Giant due to congestive heart failure at 46 rocked wrestling
Perhaps the most famous premature death among all professional wrestlers is that of Eddie Guerrero, who died on November 13, 2005 at the age of 38 due to acute heart failure due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Another prominent name that has left was Andre de Reus, who suffered from congestive heart failure at the age of 46.
There are countless examples of famous wrestlers who have passed their thirties, forties, and fifties. The reasons for each are understandably different and of course struggling is not a link in some cases.
And yet a 2014 study conducted by Eastern Michigan University analyzed causes of death for those who struggled between 1985 and 2011. It revealed that drug overdose deaths were 122.7x higher. Similarly, death from cardiovascular complications was 15.1x greater than the average male.
The passing of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall on March 14, 2022 – at the age of 63 – prompted former colleagues Brett Hart and Kevin Nash to speak out about the grim realities wrestlers, particularly from the 80s and 90s, have endured .
“We’ve lost so many wrestlers from my era, and this is another one on a list that’s way too long,” Hart said. on a Facebook after after Hall’s death.
‘I won’t blame anyone, but I do believe that if the days of struggling 300 days a year had been kinder and more considerate, if we could have been more at home with our loved ones, many of my old friends and brothers would still be here. ‘
In response to Hart’s comments, Nash replied; ‘100% the meat grinder has not been kind to the crews who have been running for more than 300 days.
Famous WWF wrestler Scott Hall – pictured vs. Stone Cold at WrestleMania X8 – died at age 63 – after three heart attacks following hip replacement surgery in 2022
Both Chyna (L) and Ashley Massaro (R) have both passed away — aged 46 and 39 respectively
Fan favorite Umaga, who once failed to help Vince McMahon defeat Donald Trump, has died aged 36
“The mental and physical pain of those years scars hard and deep, but the men I shared my life with were such a special breed and many friends for life.”
That’s the scale of premature death from those eras that 17 of the 36 wrestlers who performed at WrestleMania VI (1990) have since passed.
The 2014 EMU study also linked analgesic abuse — repeated use of drugs to relieve pain — and anabolic steroid abuse to cardiovascular disease. All three have been prominent in the wrestling industry for decades – especially in the 1980s and 1990s.
“You’re self-medicating,” former WWE wrestler Marc Mero told the Washington Post in 2007 after the death of Chris Benoit. “You suck it up and perform. If it leads to an addiction, that is part of (the work). Because if you can’t (perform), there are a hundred guys willing to take your place.’
Former WCW, TNA and AEW wrestler Konnan told the Post how some endure the brutal schedule, which was more than 300 days in the making.
“You get into a cycle where you need something to get you to bed at night, then something to wake you up in the morning, then something to lift you up during the day, then something to take you to at night.” down,” he said. in 2007.
Benoit committed murder and suicide in June 2007, killing his wife Nancy and their seven-year-old son Daniel before committing suicide. Tests were conducted on Benoit by West Virginia University’s chief of neuroscience after the horrific incident.
It showed that 40-year-old Benoit had damaged his brain through numerous concussions that it “looks like the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient,” via ABC news.
Chris Benoit committed murder and suicide in June 2007, killing his wife and seven-year-old son. Tests conducted on Benoit’s by West Virginia University’s chief of neuroscience revealed that the 40-year-old’s brain “looked like the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient.”
Viscera – aka Big Daddy V – died of a heart attack in 2014 at the age of 43
CTE has become a cause for concern among wrestlers and other athletes who compete in contact sports, albeit unscripted, such as football and hockey.
Several professional wrestlers alleged in lawsuits filed in 2018 that the WWE failed to adequately protect them from repeated head injuries that resulted in brain damage, per AP.
These were ultimately rejected and later appeals were dismissed by the US Supreme Court. In total there were over 50 wrestlers – a majority at their peak in the 80’s and 90’s who were listed as plaintiffs.
According to their lawyer, Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka and Harry Masayoshi Fujiwara died in 2017 and 2016 respectively as a result of CTE.
According to Boston University’s CTE Centerthe condition can only be diagnosed posthumously.
A litany of famous pro wrestling superstars have died of suicide, drug-related or cardiovascular deaths. However, it has made strides to improve the health and well-being of its talent.
“The company has changed so much since I started. I think a lot better,” John Cena said during a July interview with Kevin Hart.
“The talent is better cared for. They are more professional. They have more understanding. They’re not that wasteful, they’re a lot smarter. They’re a lot healthier,” he added.
“Wrestlers are more educated, more informed,” Hogan said in a 2011 ESPN interview.
“I mean, back in the day, back in the day, you had the match at Madison Square Garden, the Boston Garden, all the wrestlers would see each other at the Marriott bar.
“Nowadays all the guys go upstairs and go to the room and play video games, or go on their computers.”
In 2006, WWE established a Talent Wellness program that includes cardiovascular and brain function testing, in addition to substance abuse and drug testing.
According to the conglomerateit is independently managed by ‘world-renowned professionals’.